Thread: Trade up worth it?

Back in 2011, I wanted to upgrade my s330 high flow that I had set up for mulching. Though I liked my s330, I was intrigued by the M series innovations.. especially the cab and the easy to get to radiators. As it turns out, I rarely have to clean the radiators with the M series w/ vinyl debris kit but generally the machine is easier to service overall.

When I first started seriously thinking about upgrading, I wanted more engine power and settled on the s770. The only problem was there were no 770's available with the options I wanted and there was a 10 month wait at the factory. I reluctantly settled on a 750 which I had not demoed. When I first received the machine, I felt like the machine had more power than my 330. Lately, I'm not feeling like I have as much power or all things being equal, I feel like I don't have any more power than my 330 did. I wondered if there was a software upgrade that "detuned" my machine but haven't heard anything about that.

Though the 770 and the 750 share the same motor, the 770 makes 92 hp and the 750 nets out at 85. I'm okay with most of my digging performance and if the ground is really hard, I'll use my 335 excavator to tear it up for the skid. Where I'm wanting a little more power is in supporting my high flow pump.

Is there anyone out there who has run a high flow 750 and 770 or went from a 330 to a 770 running a mulcher or other high flow attachment? Is there a noticeable performance difference? Spec-wise the flow and pressure is the same. The only difference other than weight, is the 92 hp in the 770 vs 85 in the 750.

Thanks Yellow Dog

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"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."

Ever think to look at the CATs again? I know they redid their entire A/C cab sealing system and the 277D XHP has 106net hp, 277lb ft of torque, speed sensitive ride control, work tool positioning, self level both up and down, return to dig, ECO mode, and 40gpm@4000psi out of a load sensing pump.

I didn't have a S330 but we did have a T320 that had the same engine as the one you had in the S330. When we went from the T320 to the T770 I noticed the ease in servicing that you noticed but only a slight increase in power to the mulcher head. By slight increase I mean that the head seemed to spool up a fraction of a second faster and seemed to stall slightly less when under load. Overall it just seemed like the machine has a little more hydraulic "torque" the the T320. Unless you can get a great deal on a 770I'm not sure it would be worth the hassle to upgrade at this point for a marginal increase in power.

Ever think to look at the CATs again? I know they redid their entire A/C cab sealing system and the 277D XHP has 106net hp, 277lb ft of torque, speed sensitive ride control, work tool positioning, self level both up and down, return to dig, ECO mode, and 40gpm@4000psi out of a load sensing pump.

I did but I think the price was more than I wanted to spend. The specs are impressive and I'm curious to see if the problems I had with the C series are really fixed.
I could make a long list of things I don't like on the M series so it will always be something I (we) don't like on machines but on paper, CAT looks like they have a lot going for their D series

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"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."

I didn't have a S330 but we did have a T320 that had the same engine as the one you had in the S330. When we went from the T320 to the T770 I noticed the ease in servicing that you noticed but only a slight increase in power to the mulcher head. By slight increase I mean that the head seemed to spool up a fraction of a second faster and seemed to stall slightly less when under load. Overall it just seemed like the machine has a little more hydraulic "torque" the the T320. Unless you can get a great deal on a 770I'm not sure it would be worth the hassle to upgrade at this point for a marginal increase in power.

The T320 had the same hp rating as the 770 if I remember correctly at 92 hp. The 330 and the 750 are "detuned" down to 85 hp. Otherwise, specs on hydro is the same. From the T320 down to the S770, you lose .5 gpm but pick up a little more PSI. Not sure why Bobcat does that.. going from 37gpm to 36.5.

Maybe I should wait and see what's in the offering later with the It4 motors. I have heard that gpm and/or pressure increases were coming. That would be a reason to upgrade. Last summer I upgraded to a 2 speed mulcher head. It is amazing what I can cut but the machine is bogging down a little more than my 330 did. I remember when I went from an s300k to a 330 (202 cu in. to 228 cu in motor).. big difference in power to dig and support the mulcher. So I started thinking about the extra 7 hp.. could it support something like A/C and hydro fan and leave a little reserve for the pump? Just not enough info and unlikely I'd ever get a demo from my dealer so I'm left to make an educated guess.

I appreciate everyone's input...

__________________
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."

Hi Yellow,
I went from a T300 to a T770 it4. I have never ran a mulcher on a skid but the it4 has an amazing recovery response time. I was a bit nervous about the it4 but my dealer got bobcat to throw a 3 year bumper to bumper warranty in with the new machine. That's just my experience...

The cat C series had some issues with cooling and dust especially when mulching. The engineers went to work on it right away, however, I was in a tough position with contracts so I went back to Bobcat.

I still think the CAT suspension seat was the most comfortable I've ever used. My Bobcat M series air ride is not as comfortable.

I've considered going back to CAT but almost everything I own now is Bobcat and I have a really good relationship with my Bobcat dealer.

__________________
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."